Allen was incorporated on February 2, 1953. Allen is located approximately twenty miles north of downtown Dallas. In 1872, the City of Allen was named for Ebenezer Allen, the first Attorney General of the State of Texas to be elected into office in 1850 and he was an early railroad promoter.
The City of Allen owns and operates the 7,500-seat Allen Event Center. Allen has three major malls and shopping complexes in the city: Allen Premium Outlets, Watters Creek, and The Village at Allen. These shopping complexes attract many visitors to Allen, Texas from all over the local Collin County area.
Allen also boasts many luxury hotels often used by visitors and business-people: Hyatt Place Dallas/Allen, Hilton Garden Inn Dallas-Allen, Courtyard by Marriott Dallas Allen at Allen Event Center, and Delta Hotels by Marriott Dallas Allen.
In 2017, CNN Money named Allen the #2 in its annual list of “Best Places to Live” in the United States and #2 in “Best Places to Launch a Career”. In 2017, Areavibes named Allen the “Best Place to Live” after analysis of over 30,000 different cities.